Does NORAD Actually Track Santa on Radar on Christmas Eve?

The North American Aerospace Defense Command offers a fictional Santa Tracker every Christmas Eve. Volunteer phone operators take phone calls from children, and NORAD posts fictional location updates for Santa on NORADSanta.com. The website also features videos of Santa Claus flying over famous landmarks around the world.

The Santa Tracker began in 1955 after Sears Roebuck printed an advertisement encouraging children to call Santa Claus. Due to a typographical error, the phone number belonged to the Continental Air Defense Command. CONAD's director of operations humored the children who called the hotline by providing updates on Santa's current location. With the creation of NORAD in 1958, it continued the Santa tracking tradition.